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Costa Rica · Safe water

Safe water in Costa Rica: notices, drought and what to store

Phaenyx found no public tap-water results or boil-water register in Costa Rica. IMN tracks El Niño droughts; the CNE kit holds a half-litre bottle.

Updated 2026-10-27· 5 official sources· Leer en español

Short answer. Phaenyx found no public tap-water test results by water system and no national register of boil-water notices in Costa Rica: follow your water operator. The National Meteorological Institute (IMN) tracks El Niño and La Niña, which can bring extreme drought to some regions, in its ENSO bulletins 4. The CNE emergency case holds one half-litre bottle; the CNE also mentions "considerable" bottled water at home, without a figure 23.

How do I know if my tap water is unsafe?

Costa Rica's water and sewerage institute is the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) 1. Phaenyx found no public tap-water quality report by water system, no open data on tap-water quality and no national register of boil-water or do-not-drink notices.

Ask your water operator how it announces supply cuts and quality problems, and keep official alerts on (see our Costa Rica alerts page). If a notice is issued, follow it to the letter: read What to do during a boil-water notice and Do-not-drink notices. To treat water yourself, see How to purify water and Emergency water filters.

How much water should I store?

The CNE publishes no litres-per-person-per-day figure. Its family plan puts one half-litre bottle of drinking water in the emergency case, a light, waterproof bag to take when leaving home 2. Its FAQ mentions "considerable" bottled water, with no figure 3. The half-litre bottle is what fits in a grab bag, not a daily ration. Details are on our Costa Rica emergency supplies page. To size a home stock, see How much water to store per person per day? and Water storage containers.

Is Costa Rica short of water?

Not nationally. In WRI's Aqueduct 4.0 model, the population-weighted median of Costa Rican cities is "low to medium" for current water stress, the same in the 2050 business-as-usual projection, and "low to medium" for drought risk 5. These are city medians: some areas sit above them.

The weather pattern to watch is El Niño. The IMN explains that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) brings torrential rain to some regions and extreme drought to others; it recurs irregularly every 2 to 7 years, and its effects usually last 9 to 18 months 4. The IMN publishes ENSO bulletins on the current state and outlook of El Niño and La Niña, and an interactive ENSO viewer 4. Phaenyx found no national page listing current water rationing. See Drought preparedness and No running water.

Private wells and floods

Phaenyx found no official Costa Rican guidance on testing private wells. If your household drinks from a well, see Private well emergencies. After a flood, do not assume tap or well water is safe; read Water safety after a flood. A household plan can keep your water stock, alert settings and local contacts in one place.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I check tap water quality in Costa Rica?

Phaenyx found no public results by water system. Ask your water operator.

How much water does the CNE recommend?

One half-litre bottle in the emergency case; "considerable" bottled water at home, with no figure 23.

Who tracks drought risk from El Niño?

The IMN, through its ENSO bulletins and interactive ENSO viewer; ENSO can bring extreme drought to some regions 4.

How long does an El Niño event last?

Its effects usually last 9 to 18 months, according to the IMN 4.

Sources

  1. AyA — Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) — https://www.aya.go.cr/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
  2. Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias (CNE) — Guía para la Elaboración del Plan Familiar de Gestión del Riesgo (Plan Familiar de Gestión de Riesgo) — https://moravia.go.cr/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/plan-familiar-17-19-CM.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20; CNE 2019 edition hosted by the Municipality of Moravia, emergency case in Annex 2)
  3. Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias (CNE) — Preguntas frecuentes — https://www.cne.go.cr/contactenos/preguntas_frecuentes.aspx (accessed 2026-10-20; read via Web Archive capture of 19 June 2024)
  4. Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) — Fenómeno ENOS — https://www.imn.ac.cr/web/imn/fenomeno-enos (accessed 2026-10-27)
  5. World Resources Institute (WRI) — Aqueduct 4.0 (water stress, 2050 projection and drought risk) — https://www.wri.org/aqueduct (accessed 2026-10-27)

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Sources

  1. AyA · Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) checked 2026-10-27
  2. Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias (CNE) · Guía para la Elaboración del Plan Familiar de Gestión del Riesgo (Plan Familiar de Gestión de Riesgo) checked 2026-10-20
  3. Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias (CNE) · Preguntas frecuentes checked 2026-10-20
  4. Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) · Fenómeno ENOS checked 2026-10-27
  5. World Resources Institute (WRI) · Aqueduct 4.0 (water stress, 2050 projection and drought risk) checked 2026-10-27